Improvement in cultivators



A. H. MORREL.

Rotary Cultivator.

Patented Apr. 10. 1855.v

AM. PHOi'O-LITHO. CO- NM (OSBORNES PROCESS) Unitas seams FATE T Genres.

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IMPROVEMENT IN cu Ld'IVATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 52,690, dated April 10, 1855.

.To all whom it may concern:

lin, in the county of Falls and State of Texas,

have invented a new and useful Improvement in Cultivators; and I do hereby. declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification-- Figure 1 being a top View" of my improved cultivator; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section in the line as a: of Fig. 1; Fig. 3,- a longitudinal section, in the same line, showing some of the parts of the cultivator in a different position from that represented in Fig. 2; Fig.4,atransverse section in the line 'n 'U of Fig. 1; Fig. 5', a transverse section inthe line 2 act Fig. 1;

Fig. 6, a transverse section in the-line y 3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 7,- a partial longitudinal section in the line to w of Fig. 1; Fig. 8, a partial longitudinal section in thelinemc of Fig. 1,showing some of the parts, in a different position from what they are shown in the other drawingsyand Fig. 9 is an elevation of the rear end of the machine.

Similar letters indicate like parts in all the figures. i

My improved cultivator is adapted particularly to the thinning out of superfluous cotton-plants and the-cultivation ot' the remaining plants, but can be used for cultivating corn.

. Before describing my invention I would observe that cotton-seeds are sown continuously in drills, and after the plants have attained to the heightof from two to six inches a portion of them are removed with a hoe, so as to leave thecotton that is to be cultivated in' seriarate clusters of the proper number of plants-gem erally from four to ten. The proper number must depend upon the age of the plant and the nature of the soil.

My improved cultivator is so arranged that the operator can first laterally and transversely thin out the cotton-plants, so as to leave the proper number of plants standing, and then pulverize the earth and draw it up about the said remaining cotton-plants all at one operation.

The frame of myimproved cultivator is composed of the ends A B, the sides 0 D, and the transverse pieces E F. The said frame is supported upon the axle ff and the wheelsHEL' Between the front end, A, and the transverse piece E of the frame I locate the movable point or points m, for removing the super.- fluous plants from the side or sides of the row The point at is of the shape of the ordinary plowpoint, and is attached to a shank of proper sizeand strength,which descends from the movable beam L. The beam L rests upon the plates 0 0,- which are securedto and project inward from A and E. The said beam has also an additional support in the rodsa n, which pass through the same and are secured to the sides of the frame. The beam L can be readily moved out or in, for the purpose of enabling the pointattached to it to remove! the plants from the side of a row when they stand too thickly, by means of the cords ff, which are connected to the ends of saidbeam' and pass over the pulleys q g, which work on axles that project from the parts'A and E of the frame and the pulleysp p on the longitudinal shaft a. The said shatter is supported by the standards 9 g, and extendsto the rear part of the cultivator, where it has a crankhandle, 0, within convenient reach of the operator, by which he can turn the shaft and move-the beam L out or in, as circumstances may require. The beam L can be moved in far enough to enable the point at to cut out a portion of the plants in the row that the cultivator is made to pass centrally over; or it may be moved out far enough to throw the earth upon the roots of the plants in the adjoining row.

Between the transverse pieces E F of the cultivator-frame I arrange the supportingframe i k k of the rotating knife 01 in such a manner that as the cultivator is drawn forwardthe said knife will be rotated, while its frame is so completelyunder the control of the operator that by drawing the cord s the said knife-frame can be thrown upward far enough to cause the said knife to rotate entirely above the tops of the plants, as shown in Fig. 3, and by allowing the said knife-frame to fall into the position shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 8 the said knife will at proper intervals be made to cut the plants up below the surface of theground.

The knife-frame iscomposed of the side pieces, 70 7c, the front transverse piece, 7c, and

the metallic plate i, or their equivalents, united to each other, substantially as represented in Fig. 1. The rear ends of the sides k k of the knife-frame rest upon the axlef, and are secured thereto in such a manner that the frame may be vibrated on said axle. The knife d is secured to the end of the arm 0, which projects from the shaft b. The said shaft b is so arranged as to be parallel with the sides C D of the frame of the cultivator, and is placed midway between them, as represented in Fig. 1. The shaft b is rotated by means of the pinion h on its rear end and the cog-wheel g on the axlef. When the knife-frame is thrown into the position shown in Fig. 2 it is caught and retained by the catch d, which is forced into a notch in the transverse piece E of the cultivator-frame by the action of the spring 0, as represented in Fig. 2. The said spring 0' is secured to the standard I), which rises from the end k of the knife-frame and bears against the plate a. immediately in front of it. The said plate a. and catch d form but one piece, which is hinged at its lower extremity in such a manner that it may be moved freely back and forth. The cord sis connected to the upper end of a, so that by pulling upon said cord it will be perceived that the catch (1 will first be drawn out of the notch in the transverse piece E of the cultivator-frame, and then the knifeframebe drawn upward into the position shown in Fig. 3,where it may be retained by slipping the ring on the end of the cord 8 onto the hook a, which projects from the rear end piece, B, of the cultivator-frame.

Between the hind end, B, of the cultivatorframe and the transverse piece F, I arrange a cultivating-point, r, and its beam K, as represented in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4to wit, the rear end of said beam K is hinged to the transverse rod 1: in such a manner that it can be freely vibrated on said rod, and also be moved laterally upon the same. The front end of K, when in a position for operating the point r, is received into a notch in the plate m, as shown in Fig. 4. The said plate m is secured to the rear side of E by means of set-screws passing through slots in said plate into the cross-piece F, as shown in Fig. 4, by which the said plate can be secured in different positions upon F. The handle J, by which the beam K is man aged and governed, is connected to the front end of said beam by means of the stirrup t, and the said lever works in a swivel-joint, l, secured in proper bearings upon thetop of the rear end, B, of the machine. It will therefore be perceived that the frontend of the beam K can at any moment be elevated and moved to the right or left by the operator.

In the drawings,the beam Kof but one cultivating-pointr and the beam L of but one laterally-thinning point m are represented as combined with the rotating cutter din one machine; but I shall generally construct mycultivators with the beams of two cultivating-points and thebeamsof two thinning-points arranged on either side of the machine, substantially as herein set forth,so that the surplus plants can be removed at intervals from a row, and also be removed from either or both sides of the same, and then the earth be pulverized and drawn up to the plants that are left standing.

When my improved cultivator is used for cultivating corn the frame of the rotating cutter d should be detached from the machine.

In operating my improved cultivator the operator can at any time throw up the forward end of the machine by hearing his weightupon the rear end of the machine, and thus obviate coming in contact with any obstruction that might injure the thinning-cutters.

The stationary knife e, which is secured to the transverse piece E of the cultivator-frame, serves the purpose of cleaning the rotating knife d, as it passes in close proximity to the said stationary knife during its revolutions.

I am aware that rotary cutters and laterallyadjustable shares have been separately used in cultivators, and therefore What Iclaim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent in myimproved cultivator, is--- 1. The combination of the adjustable thinning-point (or points) at at the forward end of the cultivator with the adjustable cultivating-point (or points) 1" at the rear end of the cultivator, substantially as herein set forth.

2. Combining the rotating cutter d with the laterally-adjustable thinning-point (or points) m and the cultivating-point (or points) 1, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

The above specification of my new and useful improvement in cultivators signed and witnessed this 9th day of February, 1855.

A. H. MORREL.

Witnesses:

GEO. W. ADAMS, Z. (J. RoBBINs. 

